Clamping ear



.G. WLBOWER.

GLAMPING EAR. APPLLCATION 'mzn mAvzz. 1921.

Patented J une- 20, 1922.

Gear 6 W. Bower His iflttorney.

ounce GEORGE w. BOWER, or SCHENECTADY, YORK, essrd-noa r0 GENERAL ELECTRIC COMBANY, A CORPORATION 013 NEW YORK.

CLAMPING EAR.

Original application filed October 19, 1920, Serial No. 418,092.

Serial No. 473,070. I

cation Serial Number 418,092, filed October" In the drawing Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a clamping ear embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view thereof; Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the ear, illustrating the manner in which it clamps with a trolley wire and Fig. 4 is a side view of one of the members of the clamping ear. Fig. 5 is a view, partly in plan and partly in section, showing the relative arrangement of parts of the device.

Referring to the drawing 20 indicates a supporting member provided with an annular groove 24, and swivelled in groove 24 is a trolley ear 25 embodying my invention. In the present instance supporting member 20 is shown as being in the form of a nut which may be threaded onto the end of a post or rod, the nut forming in substainre an adapter. It is to be understood that nut 20 is to be taken as typical of any support ing member from which it is desired to suspend a trolley ear.

Trolley ear 25 comprises two clamping members 26 and 27, each formed'at its upper edge with an'inturned semi-circular flange 28 which fits in groove 24 and a flared-out lower end which presents an edge .29 for engagement with a groove in a trolley wire 30. Clamping member 26 is provided with a counter-sunk opening 31 having a smooth edge and clamping member 27 is provided with a counter-sunk opening 32 which is threaded to receive the threads on a clamping screw 33. Clamping screw 33 has at one end ahead 34 located in the countersunk portion of opening 31 and after the screw has been inserted in openings 31 and 32 its other end is upset as indicated at 34 7 Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 20, 1922. Divided and thisapplication filed. May 27,

so the screw cannot work out of the opening. This serves to make the trolley ear a complete unitary structure 'which cannot a slot for manipulating the screw with an ordinary screw-driver, but instead is provided with a polygonal, axially-extending opening 35 adapted to receive a tool having a similar shaped end for turning it. With th s arrangement the screw can betightened with greater ease than with an ordinary screw-driver and there is no danger of the tool slipping out of the slot as in the case of screw-driver. .This is a matter of considerable. importance from a practical standpolntas a workman in tightening up a trolley ear is often required to stand in an awkward position and usually on an overhead platform which makes the use of a screwdriver difficult. Also the clamping members can be drawn up tighter with such a tool than would be possible with an ordinary screwdriver. In this connection it will be noted that the trolley ear has no direct connection with any insulating means for it so that no matter how ti ht it is screwed up it cannot affect the insuFation.

The head of screw 33 is cone-shaped as is also the counterbored portion of opening 31 and projecting from the wall of the counterbored portion of the opening are two diametrically opposed projections 36, the outer surfaces of which extend at. an angle greater than that of the conical screw head. When the conical head is screwed down against these projections since it has a smaller angle than the projections, it will bind against them thus making the screw self-locking. At the same time the screw can tilt or rock on the projections 36 so that irrespective of the angle to the vertical which the clamping members take, which angle of course varies with the size of the trolley wire, the screw can stand straight relatively to the opening in clamping member 27.

vAs shown in Fig. 3 the edges 29 of the clamping members are bowed outwardly at their centers so that. in tightening them on a trolley wire the corners'take hold first.

'This arran ement insures that when the clamping members are tightened up they will engage the wire along their. entire length. p i It willbe noted that the trolley ear is narrow in width and that by reason of the countersunk openings no partoi the "clamp ing screw projects beyond the confines of the ear. As a. result it gives good clearances forthe flanges of the trolley wheel and will not rrnterfere with the wvheel on curves. Furthermore, on account of the swivel. oint between the trolley ear and the supporting member, the ear may be turned to any angle In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have described the principle of operation of my invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof; but desire to have it understood that 'the apparatus shownis only illustrative, and that the invention maybe carried out by other means. that I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 01 theUnited States, is

ment having an annular groove, of a trolley ear comprising two clamping members each 1 having a semi-circularfiange which is located in said groove and an elongated edge for engagement with atrolley wire, and a .screw having a polygonal opening for fastening said clamping members together.

2. A trolley ear comprising two clamping members, each having a semi-circularflange at one end, an elongated edge at the other end, and a counterbored' opening, the opening one 10f said members being threaded, and a screw which passes through the one opening and threads into the other, said screw having a head located in the counterbored portion of one opening and'a polygonal; opening to receive a tool for turning it.

3. A trolley ear comprising two clamping members, each having a semi-circular flange i atone end, an elongated edge at the other end, and a counterbored opening, the opening in one of said members being threaded,

screw having a conical. head, the counterbored portion of one of said openings being provided with two diametrically opposed projection'sagai-nst which said head rests and on which it can rock, the angle of said. conical head being less than that of the projections whereby'the headlocks thereon.

'5. A trolleyear' having edges for clamp-- ing engagement with a trolley wire, said,

edges being bowed out at their centers in opposite directions whereby whenthe same clamp a trolley wire, the'ends of the edges engage it first. i

6. A trolley ear comprising twomembers having opposed, elongated clamping edges,

I eacl1' of' said edges 'beingbowedoutwardly l. Thecombination with asupporting eleat its center. 7

7 A trolley ear comprising two clamping members at least one or which has a counterbored opening, said members beingjadapted toclamp a supporting" element and a 1 wire, and" a screw having a head'located in the counterboredf portion'of the opening, 

